What if all we leave upon the fallen leaves and broken stems of spring flowers

Are pain, suffering, and never-ending struggles?

Unless we are more than daggers in our hearts.

Unless we are the lilac petals, candles, and the scales.

Many Tarot interpreters know that when the Three of Swords appears, one should be ready for trouble. It typically symbolizes anything from a mild disturbance to a major disaster. Or am I wrong? Readers are welcome to comment. Regardless, this is how I have always seen it. After all, how else would one interpret three sharp daggers penetrating a cushiony heart?

But jokes aside, let’s delve a little deeper into the meanings of the Three of Swords.

Yes, the card does symbolize various unpleasantries, but in Astore Faber’s deck it is much more hopeful and optimistic. The positive aspects are represented by the lively colors: lilac purple, spring green, sunny yellow, romantic pink, warm orange, and bright sky‑blue. Even the silvery outlines, shining amid all this cheerfulness, make the blades seem far less dramatic.

The meanings of the colors do not change much from the previous cards, which also contain similar hues. Still, some nuanced differences are worth discussing.

Let’s start with spring green — the color of growth and development. In the Three of Swords, it contains a generous amount of yellow, making it more creative and imaginative. It hints at the occasional need for creativity and imagination when dealing with difficult situations and emotional states.

Lilac purple is a lovely, dreamy color. In Astore Faber’s mythology, it is the color of wisdom. Here, it is slightly diluted and innocent, yet still wisdom — intuitive insight, the wisdom of ages, even if drawn from dreams, old stories, or fairy tales. Unexpected or anticipated insights are invaluable when coping with challenges.

Yellow remains the color of imagination, ideas, and fantasies. In the Three of Swords, however, it is cooler and closer to the green area of the spectrum, which makes these musings more growth‑promoting.

At the center of the card, instead of the traditional heart, there is a composition of triangles pointing to the left. The emphasis is not on suffering itself, but on coping, dealing, overcoming, and healing. Memories (pink), social interactions (orange), and blue (mental processing and intuitive insight) all come together to help an individual cope.

It is worth mentioning that in Astore Faber’s mythology, pink is not only the color of memories (and the dreams and fantasies associated with them), but also the color of healing — specifically, the early stages of healing.

To balance the symbolic weight of all this, white and silver appear as purity, innocence, and the absence of thoughts and feelings — the state of cessation.

To summarize, the Three of Swords by Astore Faber is not merely a reminder of pain; it is an invocation of one’s potential for healing.

• Take a deep breath and focus on the essence of your question.

• Notice which element of the card draws your attention first.

• Notice which element draws your attention second.

• Close your eyes and observe how your mind processes information.

• Write down the ideas that arise, but this time interpret them through the lens of your question.

• Ideally, the image should awaken the answers you seek. If it doesn’t, you may try again or choose another divination or reasoning method.

Sadness

Depression

Trauma

Illness

Need and desire to recover

Grief

Pain of any kind

Multiple surgeries

Cuts and bruises

Sharp pain

Chest pain of any kind

Anxiety-related pain

Stress-related pain

Muscle cramps and spasms 

Metal work

Embroidery

Sewing

Making things out of paper

Any kind of difficult arts and crafts that requires precision and skills

Music (playing various types of instruments) 

Editing

Writing complex works of any kind

Journaling

Difficult and painful relationships

Abusive relationships

Difficult relationships from the past that still have an effect

Being a harsh, difficult person to communicate with

Sadness or depression preventing from communicating in a healthy way

Losing a loved one

Constant criticism

Abuse in a family

Pain and suffering of family members

Quarrels or any kind of painful family conflicts

Feeling pain of a community

Struggling to support community members 

Social awareness causes personal suffering

Helping other to deal with pain through personal experience

Feeling compassion towards those who suffer

Participating in dangerous (or potentially dangerous) activities to help others

Financial problems

Unexpected expenses (especially large ones)

Struggling to pay the bills

Financial crisis

Pulling resources together to resolve financial crisis 

Law enforcement jobs of any kind

Critical care work

Hazardous and high-risk jobs  

Being fired

Crisis at work (of any kind)

Disability or injury (work-related)

Critical thinking at work

Being about to pull together to overcome challenges

Being able to think under pressure or in high-stress situations

High-stress intellectual employment

Post traumatic care

Learning how to deal with high-stress situations

Nursing school

Education in the same areas (see Career) 

Developing personal and professional skills that require a lot of effort

Reading

Ai

Home needs repairs of many kind

The neighborhood has many challenges or in need in repairs

Any environment that is in need of repairs or reforms

Post-disaster situation

Resources are being pulled together to fix problems

An opportunity to show one's abilities to function under difficult circumstances

An event may have many challenges

The position/ job may not be what one hopes

An opportunity to address one's fears

A difficult conversation (especially non-direct: phone, email, online, etc.)

Social media (especially the frustrating aspects of it)

Having no faith

Beliefs are based on intellectual reasoning

Spirituality is affected by negative experiences

Finding hope, faith, and spirituality through pain and suffering

Finding hope after suffering (especially through intellectual efforts) 

Pamflets 

Conflicts with spiritual or religious organizations

Environment that is meant to be spiritual ends up being stressful 

Uneasiness about spirituality

Overcoming difficulties of any kind

Coping with loss (or multiple losses)

Building resilience 

Learning from one's mistakes

Coping or getting out of difficult relationships

Challenges of all kinds (especially serious/ heartbreaking/ traumatic ones)

Holding on to pain and painful memories

Not letting go off a lost loved one

Avoiding fixing things (whatever it may be)

Many decisions may need to be made in a short period of time

Adjusting to difficult circumstances

Making difficult choices

Choosing a difficult path

Right now

Quick progression of events

Monday, Wednesday, Sunday

Three days

Within an hour

Seconds

Time goes by fast (doesn't apply when on holds on to/ experiences negative emotions) 

Every second counts

Various pieces of advice on how to cope with pain and suffering

Prepare to make necessary repairs

Be kind to yourself when in pain or suffering

It is possible to find a way out of a difficult situation, even if it's not what you want or expect

Some battles require time 

Hidden pain, suffering or trauma

Undiagnosed illness 

Hidden issue that will reveal itself soon

The words have double meaning

Side effects

Something that may seem pretty innocent may have serious consequences

Many challenges lie ahead

Pain may be expected

You can overcome challenges but it will require effort

We all possess the answers we seek — even if we’re tired of hearing that phrase, it remains true. Those answers may be tiny flickers in the dark or bright as the sun. Sometimes, to understand the nudges and clues of our subconscious mind, intuition, the Universe, god, or the spirit world (whatever you prefer), we need a tool. Tarot — in this case, Tarot of the Fool by Astore Faber — can become that tool. It can help us awaken, clarify, or interpret those answers.

Still, tarot is just a tool — a way of playing with symbols and letting the mind speak in its own language. It’s not meant to replace professional guidance, medical or otherwise. If something in your life needs real‑world attention, please turn to someone qualified to help. The cards can offer insight, but the choices — and the responsibility — remain yours.